A Switch in Time
by Chanticleer
Summary: What happens when Renaissance Faire enthusiasts wind up in 15th century France? Will they escape burning as heretics? How will they get home? Why does everyone speak english? Some of these questions may be answered. Based on Disney, sorry Hugo fans.
1. Chapter 1

Annaliese Wassic attempted to rush through the security checkpoints of LAX in a panic. It almost seemed like she was going to have to strip down for a full cavity search at the metal detectors because everything she was wearing seemed to set the sensors off. She crossed back and forth through the annoyingly screeching archway 10 times before realizing what was causing the problem when one of the attendants mentioned that "tin" set off the machines. She asked the security personnel to keep an eye on her belongings and proceed to the bathroom to remove the chain mail vest she was wearing beneath her shirt. She then proceed to bashfully deposit the armor into the little dish with her keys and jewelry and pass silently through the loathsome contraption that was making her, and the poor under paid attendants, so miserable with quite a few odd glances accompanying her.

"Just out of curiosity," the lady with the hand held "locating wand" began, "and please don't think I mean any disrespect miss, but WHAT THE HELL?!?"

"Long story," Annaliese blushed, gathering up her things, "and far too long to relate if I don't want to miss my plane," she said waving goodbye and running for her terminal in the desperate hope that she wouldn't be too late to join her friends on the jet to Paris.

That hope was to be short lived and otherwise immediately dashed as she spotted the plane taxiing down the runway while she was still sprinting for the gate.

"Sssh--it!" she hissed breathlessly as she watched her guild, luggage, and hope take flight in the distance. She made her way to the Air France counter at the end of the terminal to find out what could be done about getting her on another flight as soon as possible. She transferred her ticket to a red eye flight that would take off in 4 hours, getting her to Paris on the evening of the fifth; and sent word ahead via telegram to Callista, her "sister" and best friend, to collect her bags for her and that she'd be coming in later that night.

The plane ride was everything she'd thought it would be: too loud, too cramped, and too bumpy; but excitement and an overwhelming urge to feel solid ground beneath her feet again made it pass much quicker than she'd expected it to and then she was in Paris, sort of. Okay, she was in a crowded terminal of the Charles de Gaulle airport just south west of Paris, but it was French and that was close enough!

**Somehow even "return your seat backs and tray tables to their upright and locked position" sounds cooler in French** she remarked to herself as she shuffled through the gate. She spotted Callie waiting for her and ran to her for a hug squealing all the way out of pure ecstasy.

Callie winced in visible pain at Anna's shriek, "Girl," she moaned, "it should be illegal for you to have this much energy so soon after a flight like that one."

"I can't help it. It's Paris!" Anna said with a grand gesture and an elegant little twirl.

"We aren't even in Paris yet," Callie said smiling ruefully, "Anna, promise me you're not going to get any worse… This isn't going to increase exponentially as we approach the city or something is it?" she asked with considerable dread.

"I don't know…" Anna started out in a sing song voice, then upon seeing her friends grimace in reaction she gamely made the motion of zipping her smirking lips and throwing away the key, "I'll be good. Promise."

During the 4 hour wait that had separated their arrivals at the airport Callista had taken the liberty of claiming their baggage, checking all of their things through customs, and acquiring their rental car so that the moment Annaliese got there they could leave immediately for the campgrounds and she could curl up for a nice long nap to sleep off the jet lag that was making her so cranky.

As Callie drove hesitantly through the unfamiliar and confusing Parisian streets Annaliese hopped from one side of the car to the other shouting excitedly at every building famous or not.

"Look it's the Paris Opera! Look 'La Cage aux Folles'! Look! Isn't that the street they showed in the new version of 'Sabrina'?"

"All I'm interested in looking at right now is the interior of my eyelids after we pitch our tent at the campsite. Now stop bouncing around like a rambunctious jumping bean before I pull this car over and make you stop!" Callista growled, her patience wearing thin.

"Yes, mommy," Anna replied mockingly as she climbed into the front seat while the car paused at a stoplight.

"Grow up, Girl," Callista said giggling and shaking her head. She picked up a map from a pouch in her door and slapped Anna's right shoulder with it, "Here. Make yourself useful. Tell me if we're going in the right direction."

Annaliese looked at the map with deep thought and then timidly asked Callista, "Have we… passed over the Seine yet?"

"No…" Callista replied shakily.

"Then we're going the right way!" Anna said bursting into a wide grin.

Callie slumped back into her seat looking exasperated, "I'm being serious here, Anna. I'm tired and I--."

Throwing her hands up as a shield against the lecture she knew was coming she interrupted, "Okay, okay. I know," then adopting a stone face and baritone voice she said, "Serious. All right we're being serious." She said trying hard not to laugh and not truly succeeding. After receiving an icy glare she returned to her normal voice and continued, "Make a right here."

The next sight that hit her eyes completely took her breath away. For the first time since leaving the airport Anna was absolutely speechless because they had just turned into the Ilè de la Cité and she was gaping awestruck for the first time at Notre Dame. Upon regaining the use of her tongue she stated with a wicked grin, "Now pull the car over, or I'll jump out as you drive by," with the door already slightly ajar.

Callie resigned herself to pulling off the road rather than risking any injury to her partner. It would be rather difficult to be wandering minstrels at tomorrow's festival if one of them couldn't walk.

Annaliese bolted from the car as soon as it was parallel to the curb, and began running through the square. She passed by several makeshift foundations of the temporary shops that would be complete and transacting business tomorrow before Callista was able to catch her and slow her down.

They stopped in front of a partially assembled milliner's shop to inspect some of the wares that had arrived early for the next day's proceedings. Anna picked up a muffin cap and began to twist her thick honey wheat tresses into a bun to try it on. She turned to Callista and presented herself for inspection with a grand gesture that clearly said "ta-da" and a cheerful, "Well, whaddu ya think?"

But before Callista even had a chance to respond to her an older man came up behind her and, so artfully that he didn't even pluck a hair from her head, snatched the hat off with a dispassionate, curt, "Si'l vous plaitez, Mademoiselle, ne touchez pas de la marchandise."

To which Anna responded with a bewildered look and a horrible accent, "Pardon, Monsiuer, mais je ne parle ... um, francais?"

"Oof! Americans!" He exclaimed in exasperation. Then he turned and shouted, "Jean-Peirre!" before burying himself once again in his work while mumbling profanities the girls were pretty sure they were glad they couldn't translate.

A young man in his mid 20's popped up on the other side of the stand and shouted back, "Oui, Papa." He was tall standing at about 6'2" with black hair, a deep tan, and the most startlingly crystal blue eyes that seemed to leap at you just out of contrast to the rest of him.

"Si'l te-plait," the older man said without looking up from what he was doing, "Dites aux les femmes americains a partir."

The younger man began to chuckle. He turned to the girls and said in a heavy accent, "I do not know what you did, but you certainly upset him, Mademoiselles"

"W-We're sorry, sir. We didn't mean any harm. She just wanted to try on the hat," Callista explained.

"There's no need to grovel, Callie," Anna grumbled indignantly over Callista's shoulder. Then, turning to the old man who did his best to bury himself in his work so as to avoid having to react to her, she barked defending her honor, "It's not like I was trying to steal it!"

"Calm yourself, Mademoiselle. No one has accused you of theft," Jean cooed at the enraged girl trying to placate her. He looked back to see his father scowling at him and decided he had better get the girls away from the stand before that changed, "Come, to show there are no hard feelings I will give you the 5 franc tour of the square, bien?"

Callista, gazing starry-eyed at the handsome young Frenchman since first sight, smiled broadly and exclaimed, "Tres bien! We'd love that, wouldn't we, Anna?"

To which Annaliese's only response was to cross her arms over her chest and glower. However after the tour began Annaliese's bad mood quickly faded to be replaced by her usual exuberance as Jean led the girls about the square pointing out what each stand was to become and even where their guild was to be situated. Finally they stopped in front of a large T-shaped stage with bright orange curtains draping the proscenium and crest shaped banners of magenta, dark blue, and dark green hung against the back wall with Notre Dame towering immediately to it's left.

"…And this is the main stage, where all the real action will take place, where the day will begin, with the crowning of the 'King', and end," Jean-Pierre stated motioning towards the platform with great pride.

"Wow, that was some tour," Anna said, "but everything except this stage still looks half done. Will it all be ready for tomorrow?"

"Mais oui, Mademoiselle!" Jean-Pierre exclaimed, "Believe me, Anna, by tomorrow morning this whole square, no, _City_ will seem completely transformed. You won't recognize it from what it is today."

"Well we're definitely looking forward to it, and to seeing you again, maybe?" Callista hinted.

Jean-Pierre smiled and turned his full attention to Callie. "Bien sur, Mademoiselle," he said taking her hand and raising it to his lips, "Of course I would be most honored to have you visit my shop tomorrow, and maybe I can show you around the square again. Give you the 10 franc tour, no?"

"Oooo, what do I get for 5 more francs?" Callie asked coquettishly.

But before Jean-Pierre could answer her Anna interrupted, "Ya know my curiosity on the subject is just killing me too, but what we really need to know right now is how to get to the campsite. Do you happen to know the way?"

"Oui Mademoiselle. If you have a map I can show you the quickest route from here," he replied.

"Here's our map!" Callie said snatching it from Anna's extending hand.

"If you will follow me back to my cart we can open it there."

"That had better be all that opens," Anna grumbled under her breath. Callie smacked her with the map gamely smiling and followed Jean-Pierre back to his father's booth to get directions. Anna sat on the hood of the car for 10 minutes before Callista finally reemerged from the bustling fairgrounds grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, I do like him," she said adjusting her seat belt and starting the car.

"Really? I couldn't tell... and neither could half the square," Anna said sarcastically.

"You're just jealous that he chose me over you."

"I'm just jealous that I'm gonna have to sleep in somebody else's tent when you bring him home tomorrow."

"How about Reiley's?" Callie asked after a short pause.

"Reiley and I are over. We've been over for some time now..."

"Not according to Reiley," Callie interrupted.

Anna looked perturbed and continued, "Even so if it was raining buckets I'd roll out my sleeping bag under a tree before I'd go to his tent. Besides I wouldn't want to keep him from finding someone else. I'll be looking. He should be too."

"Sweetie, he never stopped looking…," Callie said before she was able to stop herself, "sorry," she added contritely after a moment's pause.

"Don't be. I'm sure you didn't mean that to be even half as cruel as it was," Anna said, turning the radio on full blast. She quickly turned away from Callista to stare out the window. They listened to some French rock station for a while, then Anna put a depeche mode CD in the player so they could "enjoy the silence" for a while.

After driving around for another hour and a half it became quite clear to them that they were once again lost.

"Well don't just sit there glaring at me," Callista shouted as she reached to turn off the music, "make yourself useful. Look at the map."

"I thought you knew where we were going. You certainly spent enough time getting 'directions'," Anna snipped peevishly, "maybe if you'd actually tried looking at the map instead of Jean-Bob's big blue eyes we'd be at the campsite by now."

"One his name is Jean-Pierre and two he gave me a very complex route. If you had been holding the map for the last hour or so instead of pouting maybe we'd be at the campsite by now, but laying blame isn't getting either of us any closer to a good night's rest now is it," Callie said coolly.

"Okay, you're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be snapping at you like I have been. I think the jet lag is just finally catching up with me, that's all. Look it's late, we're lost, and we don't speak French so what say we park somewhere and call it a night. We can sleep in the car and walk back to the square in the morning. Whadda ya say?" Anna said drowsily.

"I'm too tired to argue with such a great sounding suggestion as sleep no matter where it is," Callie conceded. They found a narrow alley between a clothing boutique and a bakery and parked in it. Quickly thereafter both were fast asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Come dawn just as Jean-Pierre had promised when they awoke they hardly recognized their surroundings from the city they had fallen asleep in just last night. Everything had been done over in medieval style circa the late 1400's. Both Annaliese and Callie were awestruck as they looked the street up and down. They both knew it had to be some sort of illusion, but the attention to detail was staggering. What were simply ordinary street lamps last night now appeared to be oil lamps, the road had been dusted and packed firmly with what had to be inches of dirt, and god only knows where they hid all the cars; but, one way or another there was not a single clue from the store fronts to the people arriving to start a new days business that the city had ever left the dark ages. 

"Whoa, these Parisians really go all out don't they?" Annaliese remarked. Callista just nodded dumbstruck and stared up and down the street in amazement. "Well, we'd better get our stuff out of the car and get changed. We don't want to be late for the beginning of the festival," Annaliese continued after drinking her fill of the spectacular view surrounding them. Callie just continued nodding as she followed Anna back to the alley, her mouth gaping open and eyes so wide they seemed about to leap from her head. As the alley came into view an idea dawned on Anna. If the people of Paris had gone to such great lengths to preserve the illusion of this festival's authenticity what right did she and Callie have to spoil it by sticking a car right in plain sight of everyone. Since there wasn't time to move it, they had to at least hide it. Using the resources available Anna asked Callie to help her pull a cart loaded with straw in front of the entrance to the alley and then both girls got around it to the car and their clothes. Anna opened the trunk producing two duffel bags and tossed one to Callie. As Callie extracted her faire garb from her bag rational thought and full use of her tongue returned to her.

She turned, flabbergasted, to Anna and exclaimed, "When you looked out there, did you see what I saw?"

"Yeah. They really did an incredible job with the place," Anna replied.

"What I saw was more than incredible, it was impossible!" Callie squealed.

"What are you talking about?" Anna asked.

"Obviously you weren't paying attention last night when we were driving! Not only have our surroundings completely changed, but so has the layout of the road, it's like we were moved to another part of town during the night or something. It's not right!" Callie raved nearly hysterical.

"Callie calm down. It was dark when we pulled into this alleyway last night. Maybe you misjudged the layout of the street. You're overwrought right now and overreacting. Finish getting dressed. We'll walk to Notre Dame, find our guild, spend the day working and the night partying, and see if we can't get you and Jean-Pierre some QT so he can relax you a little. Okay?" Anna coaxed Callie toward her clothes.

Callie ran a hesitant hand over her costume which consisted of a bright yellow muslin shirt cinched at the neck and sleeves, a bodice with a floral pattern woven into it and pink ribbons for lacing, a cranberry colored skirt, a mint green underskirt, white pantaloons, and leather boots that strapped up around her mid calf. As she followed instructions and began to dress for the day she muttered, "I'm not crazy... you can't do all that... not in just one night... that's impossible... it's just wrong," and more of the same.

Anna listened to her friend's mutterings with a smirk as she changed her clothes. She, too, was surprised by the amount of effort the city had put into its apparent transformation. It did seem like a lot of work and man-hours for one weekend festival, but for the effect Anna presumed it was worth it. There had never been an undertaking of this magnitude before in Faire history, so she presumed they were simply going all out. She laid her chosen costume for the day out before her. She had brought two with her; one was composed of nearly all male garments that she wore as Captain Kate, Pirate Queen for Halloween last year. The other was her usual garb that she wore to Faire regularly for work as the rules of the guild stated she must. However, in the spirit of the holiday the Renaissance Faire had come to Paris to celebrate this 6th day of January Anna decided to shake things up a little. She wore crimson hose, black leather and red velvet pantaloons, a crimson muslin shirt styled identically to Callista's, and a black leather doublet tied tightly bodice style. Her leather boots buckled just above her knee leaving only an inch of her hose exposed. She tied her short sword, which at two feet was more than long enough for her, to her side with a red velvet sash with fringed edges. It wasn't exactly period, but it looked good. She draped a black cloak with a three button closure down the front (that nicely hid her cleavage) and little slits for her hands to come through around herself and drew all her hair up and back into a bun that she tucked up under a broad rimmed black hat with red plumes in it.

"I wish I had a mirror," she said straightening her elbow length black leather gloves, then turning to Callie asked, "what do you think?"

"I think you look like a pageboy who has stolen his master's outfit. I hate to break it to you, Anna; but, you simply haven't enough hair to pull off your intended effect," she chuckled fingering Anna's chin.

"Au contraire, Ma chere," Annaliese countered removing a false moustache and a jar of spirit gum from her duffle bag. Slathering her upper lip with the foul smelling goop and affixing the piece with practiced ease, "Now how do I look?"

"Like a nobleman and the guild will be furious, but that's just the voice of reason. Please feel free to disregard it as usual."

"Don't worry, I will," Anna said gingerly running her fingers over the piece to make sure it was straight and firmly attached.

Both now fully dressed they climbed out over the top of the hay cart and began walking towards the towering spires of Notre Dame. Upon reaching the courtyard they were dismayed to find everything had been switched around there as well. They couldn't find Jean-Pierre's booth anywhere. Nothing was where he said it would be, including their guild. The only thing that had remained consistent was the stage where they had ended their tour of the square yesterday. They stood before it, both rather dismayed that it and the towers of Notre Dame looming behind it were the only recognizable landmarks in the entire city to either of them. Callie was panicking all over again about being lost and alone in Paris until Annaliese grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.

"Calm down," she ordered, "God, it's early. Things haven't even gotten started here yet. We all just flew in last night. They probably just slept in a little. They'll be here. Just relax, enjoy the party for as long as you can before everybody gets here and we have to work."

"Work, Monsuier?" a man standing behind Anna nearly shouted, "Shame on you to use such language before a lady. The Feast of Fools is not a day for work, but for play."

Anna whirled around with a grin to look at the man addressing her while responding in her deepest tenor, "Too true, Monsuier. But when one's work is a pleasure, shop can be open everyday."

The man laughed robustly, "Stated like a true gentleman, ... Monsuier?"

"Wassic," Annaliese said extending her hand for a hardy shake.

"Wassic… Saxon, no?" the man speculated, returning the gesture.

"Yes, in part," Annaliese replied absently looking the man before her up and down. He was tall with a wiry yet well-toned frame. **A swimmer's body** she mused. He had a warm, vibrant smile she found quite contagious and deep, dark eyes that sparkled with mischief.

"You have traveled far to take part in our… _little_ festival."

"Further than you think," Annaliese replied, reminding herself that in this get up staring at men was not entirely appropriate behavior.

"Well, Paris welcomes you, Monsuier, Madame," The tall man said bowing gallantly to Callista. A lone trumpet began to play a fan-faire across the square. That seemed to catch the tall man's attention. "And now if you will excuse me…"

"Of course," Anna said inclining her head in a respectful bow of her own. As he turned and hurried off into the crowd towards the now flaring music, Anna couldn't keep herself from grazing her eyes over his retreating form. His motley costume, comprised nearly entirely of tights and a tunic, left very little about his physique undisclosed. And it was a nice physique, indeed.

"Would you like a cup? Or should I just go fetch a mop," Callie's sarcasm broke into Anna's reverie.

"Am I that transparent?"

"Only to me dear, but watch yourself. Remember you're the one who wanted to wear that outfit, Anna--,"

"--tole," Annaliese interrupted.

"Huh?"

"Well, if I'm going to act the part you can't very well go around calling me..."

"Right... Anatole."

Anna responded with a grin and a nod. Then she turned her attention to the other end of the square where a strong tenor voice was now ringing over the horns and drums. "Let's find out what's going on over there."

"Read as: Let's follow the cute guy," Callista teased.

Anna gave her a sharp smack on the rear and began to make her way through the crowd. Thanks to the average reaction to her rather gregarious ensemble Anna was able to cut a quick and rather wide swath through the crowd, and in no time flat was once again faced with the, now singing and dancing, tall man. He seemed to have assumed the role of Master of Ceremonies as he was leading a procession of jugglers, clowns, and performers of all kinds and descriptions through the square back to the stage in front of the Cathedral. "Story of my Life," Anna mused to herself softly, "I would've had the best seats in the house if I could just hold still for 5 minutes."


End file.
